Chapter 132: The Duel
On the long stone-paved street of the small town, people came and went in a lively stream, mule bells jingling and peddlers' carrying poles creaking under their loads.
Wu Shang and the other Captain, Cheng Zhong, sat upright on their tall horses, leading the carriage forward while sweeping the street with watchful glances.
Shops and stalls lined both sides of the road in dense rows. Under a sky that was half clear and half overcast, the copper-clad signboard of the pawnshop clanged in the wind, the ironsmith's forge sent showers of crimson sparks spraying out at intervals, and the calls of merchants near and far rang out without cease.
The town sat close to the official road and saw a constant flow of traveling merchants and wayfarers, so when Li Musheng's group entered the town, they drew no particular attention.
The carriage stopped at the largest inn in the town, and after they stepped down a stable boy came out to take the horses.
Captain Cheng Zhong and the coachman Cao Gaoshan went with the stable boy to see to the horses and carriage, while Hu Rui'an had a waiter lead them to a private window-side table on the second floor and ordered a full spread of food and drink.
Li Musheng, Hu Rui'an, and Murong Xiaoya took their seats at the table one after another, with Wu Shang standing in attendance to one side.
Throughout the journey, the three sharing the carriage had exchanged very little conversation.
Murong Xiaoya seemed to be a deeply shy young woman, keeping herself tucked into a corner of the carriage the entire time, either sitting cross-legged in cultivation or dozing, and barely saying a word.